Transport Topics

U.S. trailer orders edged past 26,000 in February, keeping pace with the past few months, ACT Research reported. Preliminary data shows orders were 26,500 compared with 25,514 a year earlier, according to ACT, which noted the order pace that closed 2021 and opened 2022 continued for the third straight month in February. Net orders were 26,595 in January and 26,382 in December. Supply chain and staffing headwinds continue to challenge trailer makers in the face of what ACT termed extremely strong fleet demand for equipment. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In an effort to open up the nation’s clogged supply chains, the Biden administration on March 15 announced a pilot program under which trucking companies, ports, retailers and major ocean carriers would share data with one another to improve the overall flow of goods. Called Freight Logistics Optimization Works or FLOW, the program will start with 18 companies, including UPS Inc., FedEx Corp., C.H. Robinson, Target and True Value Hardware, along with the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, the Georgia Ports Authority, and several other transportation providers and businesses. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

American Trucking Associations is among the groups proposing that the California Air Resources Board consider supply chain pressures for granting the industry alternatives to certain regulatory compliance. In a recent letter to CARB’s leadership about an emissions rule for trucks, the groups insist it would be difficult for aspects of the industry to upgrade to a 2010 model year emissions-equivalent engine by the end of the year. They propose that the agency allow certain fleets the ability to show intent to purchase a used vehicle with similar compliance considerations that exist under a delay provision in the emissions rule. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Over the coming weeks, Congress is expected to be consumed by rising energy prices and a foreign policy agenda that includes Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Democratic leaders are signaling the potential for considering legislative remedies aimed at providing some sort of assistance to middle-class households grappling with inflation and the price at the pump. The price of diesel shot up 40.1 cents, setting a record at $5.25 a gallon, in Monday’s report from the Energy Information Administration. Since the start of the year, consumer prices have moved steadily upward due partly to ongoing supply chain bottlenecks. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Retail sales and orders for Class 8 trucks in February barely budged over January numbers. Sales reached 14,916, a tiny increase over January’s total of 14,854, according to Wards Intelligence. Class 8 orders in February came in at 21,000, or essentially even with January’s volume, according to ACT Research. But compared to a year ago February, numbers were down slightly for sales, 2.9%, and significantly for orders, by more than half. One analyst said it’s the length of the backlog, not the order volume, that best defines the shape of the demand for new trucks. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Pilot Flying J announced March 9 that it plans to spend $1 billion to remodel nearly 500 of its oldest travel centers across the country. The Knoxville, Tenn., company said the three-year initiative it is calling “New Horizons” is the largest plan in its history to modernize and upgrade its facilities. All told, Pilot Flying J has 800 stores. Some of the money will be spent to upgrade its newer facilities as well. Company executives said they are trying to reinvigorate Pilot Flying J’s customer base, much of it being professional truck drivers who have endured difficult conditions the past two years because of the pandemic. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Ceva Logistics announced it teamed up with autonomous commercial vehicle technology company Kodiak Robotics to deliver freight autonomously between Dallas-Fort Worth and Oklahoma City, expanding on an existing relationship. The latest route on the Interstate 35 corridor runs 200 miles between a Ceva facility in Dallas and the delivery point in Oklahoma City. The companies said the shipments along the new route mark the first freight deliveries by autonomous truck in Oklahoma. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

XPO Logistics Inc. announced that its board of directors has approved a plan to separate its tech-enabled brokered transportation services from its less-than-truckload business in North America, and intends to divest its European business and North American intermodal operation. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Yesterday, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced a proposed rulemaking to further restrict emissions of soot-forming nitrogen oxides by heavy-duty diesel and gasoline engines starting in model year 2027. EPA’s intention is to reduce these types of emissions from trucks by as much as 60% in 2045. EPA also announced it intended to set new greenhouse gas emissions standards for heavy-duty vehicles as soon as model year 2030. In response to the announcement, American Trucking Associations said it shares the administration’s goal of cleaner air, and wants to help ensure an outcome that is not harmful to the industry. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg told U.S. senators his agency is addressing the need for increasing access to parking for truck drivers. The longstanding industry concern was raised during a hearing of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee with the secretary on March 2. Buttigieg pointed to several DOT programs that would ideally help tackle the issue. In addition, the recently enacted $1 trillion Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act dedicates funds to enhance freight connectivity and alleviate supply chain bottlenecks. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A new report from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration on 2020 crash data shows that despite fewer miles traveled during the first year of the pandemic, 38,824 lives were lost in traffic accidents. That marks a 6.8% increase and the highest number since 2007. However, the number of fatalities in large-truck crashes declined by 6.9%, falling to 832 in 2020 from 893 in 2019. Injuries suffered in large-truck crashes declined by 1.7%, to 44,934 in 2020 from 45,688 the year before, NHTSA said in the report that was made public March 2. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The U.S. Department of Labor has partnered with American Trucking Associations for an apprenticeship program that could play a significant role in easing the industry’s driver shortage, and presents motor carriers with an opportunity to directly work with and train new entrants into their ranks. Labor Secretary Marty Walsh was joined by Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and ATA leadership at a March 1 signing ceremony at the department’s headquarters to formally establish ATA as an official registered apprenticeship sponsor. The signing ceremony centered on a 90-day apprenticeship challenge launched by the Biden-Harris administration. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

January’s average retail sales price for a used Class 8 truck burst past $88,000 to set a monthly record and post an 83.2% gain compared with a year earlier, ACT Research reported. The average retail price was $88,293 compared with $48,190 in the same 2021 period, according to ACT. January also was up from $82,341 in December, the previous high. Estimated sales were 22,300. That was up from 20,700 a year earlier and slightly less than December’s 22,800. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On March 1, President Joe Biden is scheduled to deliver a State of the Union address, for which he will outline an agenda for the year. Matters pertaining to Ukraine, his Supreme Court pick and ensuring funds for aspects of his domestic “Build Back Better” budget will be dominant themes. Infrastructure spending also is expected to be among the guiding principles of that agenda. Since the enactment of the $1 trillion Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, or IIJA, Biden has detailed historic funding allocations for freight connectivity projects, transit options, disaster mitigation programs, electric vehicle facilities and all policy matters capable of responding to supply chain bottlenecks. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Four Rocky Mountain states will cooperate on developing ways to make the most abundant element in the universe — hydrogen — more available and useful as clean-burning fuel for cars, trucks and trains, the states’ governors announced Feb. 24. Colorado, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming will plan a “hydrogen hub” to be built somewhere in the region, drawing from $8 billion in recently approved federal infrastructure funding for four or more such regional hubs in the U.S. Goals will include economic development and the research into cost-effective generation, transportation and use of clean hydrogen, the states’ agreement said. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Cellular service providers are shutting down their 3G networks this year, a shift that could impact legacy wireless systems that some fleets are still using, some experts say. The 3G networks are being shuttered to free wireless spectrum for existing 4G LTE and still-expanding 5G networks. The move will support growth for systems, devices and applications that need more bandwidth for improved speed and latency. However, it will cause service issues for fleets using 3G-connected systems for equipment such as electronic logging devices. ABI Research on Feb. 14 released a report that estimated at least 350,000 Class 8 trucks nationwide will be affected by the overall shutdown of 3G networks. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Biden Administration yesterday announced plans to make $450 million available in new grant funding for port infrastructure development. Administration officials said the funding is the largest investment in the specific program in history, and the money will help improve the movement of goods through the ports. The grants will be awarded on a competitive basis. This news comes as many ports post their January results, indicating continued strength in shipping amid supply chain issues. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Engine maker Cummins Inc. is acquiring components manufacturer Meritor in a $3.7 billion cash deal announced yesterday. The total transaction value — at a price of $36.50 a share of Meritor stock — includes assumed debt and net of acquired cash. The purchase price is 48% higher than the $24.67 per share that Meritor’s stock closed at Feb. 18. In addition to commercial drivetrain, braking and other truck parts, Meritor has moved aggressively into developing parts for electric vehicles. In another major deal, GXO Logistics announced Sunday its plans to acquire United Kingdom-based Clipper Logistics. GXO has not yet made a formal offer, but the agreed-upon terms indicate a price estimated to be $1.3 billion. Clipper provides logistics services for several European retailers. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

American Trucking Associations and the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association have sent a letter to Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg urging that Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act funds be prioritized to boost the nation's truck parking capacity. The groups say the nationwide shortage of truck parking has plagued America's truckers for decades, with a wide range of consequences for highway safety, driver health and well-being, supply chain efficiency and the environment. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Hirschbach Motor Lines announced it will acquire Oklahoma-based refrigerated carrier John Christner Trucking. Hirschbach, based in Dubuque, Iowa, is a privately owned carrier that provides refrigerated, dedicated and specialized transportation services. John Christner founded his namesake company in 1986, and later handed control over to his sons, Danny and Darryl. Post-transaction, Danny will stay on as president while his brother and father plan to retire. John Christner Trucking will continue to operate independently, the companies said. Hirschbach will have more than 3,000 trucks and 5,000 trailers when the deal closes. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices